The present invention relates generally to simmer power supplies and, more particularly, to systems incorporating a simmer control circuit with outputs to multiple devices and methods of operation thereof that provide for high efficiency operation of the systems.
Some devices, such as arc and flash lamps for solid-state laser systems, require high-voltage trigger pulses to operate. Often, such high-voltage-pulse-triggered (HVPT) devices are connected with a simmer power supply providing a low current through the device during device operation. The low current provided by a simmer power supply may range from milliamperes to several amperes, depending on the device characteristics, and may allow for the use of a low-voltage trigger pulse to transfer energy to the device, extend the life of the device, improve pulse-to-pulse jitter in the device, and overcome most electromagnetic interference problems present in the device when a simmer power supply is not used.
Frequently, different HVPT devices are used in the same system. For example, it may be desirable to use multiple laser heads in an arc-lamp-pumped laser system. Such a laser system might be useful in dermatology for hair and tattoo removal and skin rejuvenation and augmentation, as examples. However, current systems including HVPT devices are large and inefficient because they require a separate simmer power supply for each device in the system.
It would therefore be desirable to design a smaller, more efficient, and more cost effective system for HVPT devices.